Reviews by OWSLEY069:

Pours deep amber, almost black with a light tan head. In the aroma, hoppy and somewhat plummish. In the taste, plum, caramel and just a nice hop presence backing it up. A smooth, malty mouthfeel and a dry small hop and small plum in the aftertaste. Somewhere between an IPA and a barleywine. Color threw me off, but otherwise really great.

More User Reviews:

I have looked forward to getting this beer for sometime and now I know why,poured into an oversized wine glass a deep dark brown with a tight formed almond colored head that left broken lace as it settled as I worked my way down the glass.Whoo intense aromas big leather and hop resin along with quite an alcohol kick nearly boozy but oh so inviting a prune/raisin element is there as well.Flavors are complex to the hilt as well as being potent,deep molasses and licorice combined with deep hoppy resiny goodness as well as a unrestrained alcohol shot really makes this a monster,the flavors are awesome all that in your face deep malt and intense hop really makes it a sipper.English Barley Wine are you kidding me?This is American style no doubt with the deep intense hop profile makes it American style easily,just a great brew.

A: Dark brown, much darker than most barleywines I've come across. A rather small tanned head settles into small lacings after a while.

S: Quite an impressive smell. Lots of chocolaty malts mixed with fading yet prominent hop notes of grapefruit and pine-needles. Big notes of caramel as well, and hints of dark fruits (cherries), dust and fudge. Although the hops makes for a quite lively smell, it's still on the heavy and dense side.

T: Well, what do you know, this is actually really good. Sweet malty caramel flavors quickly leave room for citric hop notes with a grapefruit character. Hints of floral hops as well. A pleasant chocolate character coats the other aromas from start to finish. Nøgne Ø's distinct house character is noticeable. The finish is very bitter with lots of hop aromas, minerals and a hint of wood. The bottle I sampled is over a year old, so the hops have probably faded considerably, but here is still lot of hop excitement going on and the beer as aged well.

M: Rather full-bodied with a very smooth texture.

D: A very tasty beer with an interesting combination of sweet malty flavors of an English barleywine and generous amounts of American hops. Also, the prominent chocolate flavors add a little extra to the brew.

Snagged a bottle at Belmont Station in Portland Oregon during a recent road trip. Glad I did.
Poured into a snifter. Dark charcoal black with a hint of brown around the side and a nice adequate brown foam head that dissipates quickly. Interesting lace. Not the big layers a splotches but abundantly spotted. Little dots all around the glass.
Rich chocolate and coffee notes throughout. Aroma and taste. Lingering aftertaste leaves a very pleasant mouthfeel to savor.
Will definitely buy this again when I get the chance.

500 ml bottle. Pours a brown cola color with a creamy off-white head that retains well and laces the glass.

The aroma is sweet sugary caramel malts and dark fruits with some spicy (slightly piney) hops and alcohol in the background.

The flavor is sweet and watery cola and some fruitiness with a harsh salty and tar-like bitterness at the finish. The alcohol is pretty harsh. The mouthfeel is medium to full and kind of watery.

Overall, too much harsh alcohol and bitterness for me. I don't get any grapefruit or pine from the hops which is disappointing. It reminds me some of Flying Dog's barley wine which I really didn't care for either.

Presentation: It was served on tap at the Blue Monk in Buffalo NY and presented in a tulip glass.

Appearance: The body is dark brown, near black and came with a small light tan head. The head settles to a small ring of foam in no time. This ring makes for some nice lacing at the top of the glass. As I drink it becomes slick and slides right down the glass.

Smell: I get some nice deep spicy citrus and mild pine hop notes over what seems like a pumped up Brown Ale or Porter like bass. This malt is roasty with notes of caramel and coffee.

Taste/Palate: Big roasted malt character and solid hop bitterness blend well together on the palate. It's full and smooth with a very mellow touch of alcohol. This is well hidden for a big 10% beer. Toasty and mildly sweet malty caramel notes slowly gives way to deep spicy/citrusy hop flavor and bitterness with a touch of leafy herb and pine as well. Hop bitterness slowly fades of the tongue deep into the finish.

Notes: This is a very tasty beer that seems to have aspects of an Imperial Porter, Brown Ale and Double IPA all rolled up into an English Barleywine. It all works well and makes a very enjoyable American Barleywine.

The beer pours a murky medium-brown color with a large, cream-colored head. the aroma is licorice with some nutmeg and malt. The flavor is caramel malt along with piney and grassy hops. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

This was an older bottle so the hops probably faded a bit, but it was still enjoyable.

Nice combination of smells here that are pleasant, though they are a little tricky to pin down. The sweet malt of a Barleywine, smoke, raisins, resin and citrus hops, bubblegum or a sweet candy of some sort, chocolate malt.

A little boozy, but quite enjoyable. Lots going on here as well. I think this is a brew that is up to personal interpretation, as I see many different notes cropping up in other review , some that I get, some I don't. I definitely get nice resin hops, raisins or grape, sweet malt a bit of caramel, spices (ginger and cinnamon). It's a complex ale and a tasty one at that.

# 100 opens to a sweet, spicy, citrusy, complex aroma that instantly speaks to a well-crafted beer. There are lovely light sugars in here, including strawberry, berry, orange, and apricot fruit esters on the light side, and prune, fig, raisin, black cherry, and date on the dark, as well as touches of candi sugar and almost Stevia-like sweetness about the fringes. These are countered by lemon and lemongrass, as well as sweet pink grapefruit and touches of grapefruit rind and pine from the hops, and a nice toast crust, biscuit, and Grape Nuts cereal layer from the grains. The aromas do drift more toward the sweet and effervescent, recalling fruit spritzers, but enough of a cognac touch of vanilla and caramel remains to add a layer of light alcohol vapors. As a whole, the nose is very nice, though somewhat lighter than could be expected from a 10% ABV Barleywine, but does feature an excellent range of fruits and sugars, tempered well by vanilla, citrusy hops, and breads.

On the tongue, the beer opens with a marked sweetness that is almost instantly joined by a strange heavy raisin fruit ester base, almost as if raisin puree had been added pre-fermentation. The raisin overtone does carry touches of date, fig, and prune, but is largely raisin-y, and joined by peppery, spicy edges that make this seem more alcoholic fruitcake than beer. Largely gone here are the light fruit esters from the nose, the orange coming across on the tongue more like blood orange liqueur. Thick swaths of brown bread and toast crust add earthiness, and there’s a good layer of lemon, lemongrass, grapefruit, and light pine resin from the hops. But the major flavor here is the raisin/dark fruit layer, which combines with the vanillas, caramels, and alcohol burn to make this seem like raisin liqueur mixed with brandy or cognac. These flavors dominate the aftertaste as well, which lingers on the tongue for a good while. Mouthfeel is medium, and carbonation is medium.

Overall, this is one of the stranger Barleywines on the market, and the overabundance of raisin and dark fruit esters is initially shocking, and can be slightly wearing over time, like trying to eat an entire loaf of spiced fruitcake in one sitting. The beer is definitely worth trying for the experience, but be aware that this is very much a sipping beer, and the strong flavors and heavy alcohol burn might prove too much for some.

500mL bottle, 2009 vintage. Pours dark brown with a big tan head. Somewhat fruity aroma with molasses and sweet malt. The flavor is roasty with dark fruits, vanilla, and subdued hops. Medium bodied with a very smooth mouthfeel. The 10% alcohol is not noticable at all. Really good stuff.

Pours dark brown, very close to black, with a cream-colored head that dissipates into a ring. Darker than an average barleywine.

Doesn't smell like a normal barleywine, there's a lot more coffee, and you can slightly smell the alcohol.

Following the above trend the taste isn't much like a normal barleywine either. It isn't very sweet, and the coffee notes are more prevalent than anything else. There's also a slight bitterness at the end. Somehow it all works very well together.

The mouthfeel is pretty thick - the carbonation is just enough to release the flavors.

This beer is very good. I'm not sure when it was retired, but it seems as if the hops (if they were there much) have calmed down and the other flavors have stepped up to replace it. Very drinkable, definitely a sipper.

I would recommend this as a good beer, just don't expect a traditional barleywine.

16.9oz. brown bottle, purchased at Sam's in Chicago the day after DLD08, poured into a snifter.

A: Pours a very deep brown with some ruby tinting on the edges when backlit. 3 fingers of light mocha head forms from a semi rough pour into the somewhat small snifter. Very good retention and good lacing.

S: Very nice malty aroma. Toffee and light dark fruits. There's a soft hop presence, a good bit of citrus and juicy fruits along with some floral, spring aromas. A bit of deeper malt character... maybe chocolate but doesn't have a sweet character to this part of the malts. Alcohol seems to have mellowed with age and adds a pleasant depth.

T/M: A good balance between potent hops and potent malts. Good bitterness level, especially with the age. Some more of the lightly citrusy hops but more of the Euro style floral, grassy, and earthy hops. More of the toffee and light dark fruits. The savory 'chocolate' character is much more pronounced, almost reminding me of the dark bready character of a good doppelbock. Alcohol again lends that gently touch of depth and even a bit of warmth in the swallow. Body is medium full with a great smoothly carbonation. Perfect feel.

D: The 10% is nicely mellowed and the feel makes this drink way too easy. Great depth of flavors makes you slow down, contemplate, and savor the entire brew. Very good.